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Each spring ISRO invites a group of Class 9 students to spend about two weeks at its centres, listening to scientists, building model rockets and looking at the sky through telescopes. The programme is called YUVIKA, and most families hear about it only after the deadline has passed. This post explains what YUVIKA is, who could apply in 2026, how the selection score is built, and what a Class 8 or Class 9 student can do now.
What is ISRO's YUVIKA programme?
YUVIKA stands for YUva VIgyani KAryakram, or Young Scientist Programme. ISRO's YUVIKA page says it aims to "impart basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications" to school students, to "Catch them young", and to encourage more students towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The same page describes the 2023 edition. It was a two-week residential programme held from 15 to 26 May 2023, with around 337 students from all 28 states and 8 union territories, at seven ISRO and Department of Space centres including VSSC in Thiruvananthapuram, SAC in Ahmedabad and URSC in Bengaluru. Students had classroom lectures and hands-on sessions: model rocketry, sky gazing, robotics and coding, CANSAT experiments, drone demonstrations, assembly of do-it-yourself kits, facility visits and time with ISRO scientists.
Who could apply for YUVIKA 2026?
Applications run through ISRO's Antriksh Jigyasa portal, hosted by the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) in Dehradun. The YUVIKA page on Jigyasa set out these rules for 2026:
Eligibility: students studying in Class 9 as on 1 January 2026, within India.
Bonafide certificate: downloaded during registration and signed by the school principal.
Dates: announcement on 20 February 2026, registration from 27 February to 31 March, first selection list on 13 April, a second list on 20 April for vacancies, and the programme itself from 11 to 22 May 2026.
Costs: ISRO bore course material, lodging and boarding. Travel was reimbursed against the original ticket, up to the second AC train fare.
The portal also told applicants that taking part in its online SpaceQuiz was a required step in registering. ISRO announces each cycle separately, so check the portal for the next year's rules rather than assuming the 2026 dates will repeat.
How is the YUVIKA selection score worked out?
The 2026 page listed seven parameters:
Marks in Class 8 or the last exam conducted: 50%
Performance in the online quiz: 10%
Science fair or co-curricular participation in the last three years: 2, 5 or 10% (school, district, or state and above)
Olympiad or equivalent prize, rank 1 to 3, in the last three years: 2, 4 or 5% by level
Sports competition winner, rank 1 to 3, in the last three years: 2, 4 or 5% by level
Scouts and Guides, NCC or NSS membership in the last three years: 5%
Studying in a village or rural school in a panchayat area: 15%
Check the arithmetic. The maximum values add up to 50 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 15 = 100. Class 8 marks and the quiz together make up 60 of those 100 points, so they matter most. The rural-school weight of 15 is larger than any single co-curricular item, which fits ISRO's statement on the same page that a minimum participation will be ensured from each state and union territory.
Common mistakes families make
Applying in the wrong year. Eligibility is tied to the class you are in on a fixed date. A student in Class 10 on that date cannot apply, however strong the marks.
Missing the quiz. In 2026 the quiz was part of registration, not an optional extra.
Leaving the principal's signature to the last day. Schools close for exams in March, which is when the 2026 window closed.
Treating YUVIKA as an exam to cram for. Half the score comes from Class 8 marks you already have. The rest rewards a record of activity built over three years.
How can a Class 8 or Class 9 student prepare?
You cannot change last year's marks, but you can build the parts of the score that are still open, and you can arrive ready to learn.
Read about the Indian space programme. Our profiles of Vikram Sarabhai and of the orbit maths behind Mangalyaan are a good start.
Do one real project. A school or district science fair entry counts toward the score. If you want a national-level target, read our post on the IRIS National Science Fair.
Revise the physics behind rockets and orbits. Newton's third law explains how a rocket pushes itself upward, and gravitation explains why a satellite keeps circling the Earth.
Watch the night sky. Sky gazing was part of the 2023 programme. Learn to find the Moon's phases and a few bright planets from your roof.
If ideas like orbits or action and reaction are hard to picture from a textbook diagram, the Fermi Simulation Lab has interactive simulations for ideas that are easier to see than read.
This week, open the Jigyasa YUVIKA page, note the eligibility date for the next cycle when it is announced, and put your certificates in one folder.
